8 hot ideas for your gender reveal party

Looking for a way to share your baby's sex with family and friends? Cutting into a cake with pink or blue filling is so two years ago. A "gender reveal" extravaganza, on the other hand – complete with games, favors, and a Pinterest board? Now you’re talking!

"The gender reveal party trend has exploded in the last year," confirms BabyCenter’s Community manager Rebecca Michals. Why the boom? The economic hard times may have something to do with it. "People are looking for reasons to celebrate," Michals explains.

But most of all, we can thank social media for the uptick. "After seeing online videos, I wanted to have that amazing moment too," says BabyCenter Community coordinator Katie Martin, who recently shared the gender of her fourth child with 60 guests.

Planning your own celebration? Here's what's hot:

Themes

Today's expecting parents are using fun themes for their reveals, such as pregnancy cravings (think pickles, ice cream, and potato chips) or ducks (hang up a "waddle it be" banner).

You can also let holidays guide the theme. "Our friend had her gender reveal in October, and everyone wore either a pink or blue pumpkin pin" says one BabyCenter expecting mom.

"We combined our reveal party with St. Patrick's Day, which made it extra fun," adds Martin. (Yes, she had pink and blue shamrocks!)

Balloons

Balloons-in-a-box is one of the hottest trends going.

"We had the doctor write down the gender, and my mom brought the envelope to the grocery store and asked the clerk to fill a large box with either pink or blue balloons," says Angela, a BabyCenter mom. "We opened the box in front of our friends and family – and blue balloons flew out!"

Those looking for a smaller-scale idea can ask a party supply store to fill a black balloon with either pink or blue confetti, and then wield a pin at the party. Pop!

Teams

Make those guests commit! Ask everyone to wear either pink or blue, or provide gender-specific accessories, such as pink and blue bead necklaces, pins, leis, or temporary tattoos. One inspired couple gave out cardboard mustaches and lips on sticks.

Lottery

With all the Hunger Games references floating around, it's no surprise that some people are going lottery-style.

"My friend is going to make cake pops, but only one will have the colored center," says one BabyCenter mom. A particularly creative idea comes from Tiffany: "We had a huge Easter egg hunt, and one egg had a slip of paper inside that said, 'It's a boy!'"

Outfits

One popular way for expecting parents to reveal their baby's sex is to unwrap a baby outfit in front of party guests.

"We had the ultrasound technician write the gender on a slip of paper, and then we went to a store and picked out a boy and girl outfit," says Sarah. "We handed the outfits and the envelope to the cashier, and she boxed the correct outfit for us."

Food

Getting creative with food can be an easy way to make your party extra festive – just don't forget the food dye!

"It would be perfect if you decorated deviled eggs to look like Momma's belly with pink or blue filling," suggests one BabyCenter mom. Check out the BabyCenter Community for more food ideas.

Skype

So cousin Marge can’t fly in from Tanzania…but that doesn’t mean she can’t be there. Parents are using technology to include everyone.

"We did our reveal on Christmas, and we had our friends on Skype. It was the best present ever," says Theresa.

More great ideas for gender reveal celebrations

Then head over to Pinterest and run the same search (don’t forget to take a look at BabyCenter’s own board, where we’ve pinned several snazzy ideas). Finally, do a search on YouTube and settle back with some tissues.

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